DIY Christmas Wreath

'Tis The Season and I was inspired to revamp "Charlie brown's Christmas Wreath" ~ that's the loving name I've given to a my"more-than-Second-Hand" sad-sad Wreath, below:

 I was inspired by this Pin:

Source: bhg.com via Bella on Pinterest

The original link is from Better Homes and Gardens. It simply states to glue on pre-made snowflakes to a flat wreath and tie with a ribbon.

I couldn't find snowflakes quite like the inspiration picture. And I have no idea what a flat wreath is. So I decided to use my old wreath and use my hot glue gun (for the first time ever!)
Oh, yeah: and no ribbon because I am cheap.

Now, keep in mind that I don't have a stunning red door to photograph against. (Or an actual camera, for that matter)
But here's my version:



pretend it is rotated :P



I should have probably stopped there. It looks simple and sophisticated.

But that's not the look I am going for this year. I am going for sparkly, and bright.

So I replaced some of the worn out pick of the original wreath, with a couple of bright plastic ornaments.

Here's the end result:

Pinspired: Wall Art for Non-Artists

My piece (left), which I shall call "Cottony Swirls" was inspired by a post on Two Girls Being Crafty Blog and this Pin (right)

Source: twogirlsbeingcrafty.blogspot.com via Bella on Pinterest

I was attracted to the inspiration piece because of its simplicity and multi-color composition.



Ironically, my finished piece ended up being mixed media and pretty close to monochromatic.


I started out drawing the branches on drawing paper and made the circles (aka cottony swirls) in white acrylic paint. (because my paper was not white to begin with and I wanted a sharp background)


Off in my dream world, I imagined laying down on a field of...something...and looking up  ~~~ I've never laid down on a field, so I had to use my imagination here)
So that's when I started drawing with oil pastels trying to recreate what in my mind was the 4:00 o'clock sun shining through leaves and grass.

Then I remembered many moons ago, seeing a cotton plant (bush, whatever) in a very random place like a country club. And I could swear the cotton had tiny little black seeds (it could have been bugs, IDK) And, although not as many as in my rendition, I decided to incorporate them to my painting using a fine point Sharpie.
Instead of just drawing dots, I decided to complicate (and further deviate) things by giving them a swirly motion that remind me of the sky in Starry Night and some sort of Zentangle-ish pattern.

Voila!

P.S: I still want to try a version closer to the inspiration piece: large canvas, simple and with lots of vibrant colors. I'll keep you posted.

Source: twogirlsbeingcrafty.blogspot.com via Bella on Pinterest

I love Paisley Artwork

Practicing with my new Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils. I added a crackle effect on Photoshop and gave my mom the original because she loved the happy colors.
These Prismacolor pencils are an absolute dream! 132 colors of pure joy. They are highly pigmented and glide effortlessly. They also layer very well for a nearly infinite range of mix possibilities. If you decide to invest on a set, I highly recommend getting this Prismacolor pencil sharpener and look at this link for sharpening tips to preserve the integrity of the leads.
Happy coloring!

Pinterest Inspired: Painted Ornaments

My first post featuring Pinterest Inspired Craftiness! Hopefully blogging my projects will inspire me to create more of the ideas I keep pinning.

 'Tis the Season... to make colorful, crafty projects full of glitter and shine!!! Here we go:
 I was intrigued by the idea of making my own Christmas ornaments, but didn't want to spend the money on specialty glass paint. I was so happy when I found this great Pin featuring a technique using cheap, cheap acrylic paint.
To sum it up, you just squeeze cheap acrylic craft paint into clear ornaments and swirl them around until they cover the surface.

That's it!

I found that using contrasting colors yield more interesting results. Similar colors (like on the green one, above) also work, but look a little blah.

The glitter ornament is a little bit different. I found many Pins using liquid floor wax to coat the inside of the ornament to act as a clear, fluid adhesive. But I don't have liquid floor wax on hand, so I searched for an alternative. Instead I use aerosol hair spray.

1. I swirled it around to cover the entire ornament.
2. Poured out the excess
3. Poured a generous amount of glitter - at this point the glitter is swimming in hairspray so it is easy to spread and put it back in the ornament box to dry overnight.

How easy is that!

Because you are painting the inside of the ornament, you don't really need paint with a fancy/glossy/enamel/resistant finish.

Love this!!!

Words to Live by & a Change of Pace

I strongly believe these words. Find artistic beauty in the mundane. Whether it is a flawless makeup application or a Classical masterpiece.

Art is in the eye of the beholder.

Although this blog started as a beauty product review site, it will now be  dedicated to the appreciation and creation of beautiful things.

The Trivial and the Divine.